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Back-to-school season can be an exciting time for kids—and parents too! As summer starts giving way to fall, your to-do list begins to fill up: there are clothes to buy, supplies to gather, and get-togethers with friends both old and new. Here are a few do’s (and don’ts) that can help keep your kids oral health in tip-top shape through this busy season…and all year long.

Do pack kids a healthy lunchIn addition to a protein like lean meat, eggs or peanut butter, a healthy lunch may include crunchy vegetables such as carrot or celery sticks, dairy like cheese or yogurt, and fresh fruits. Add a bottle of water and your kids will be all set to go!

Don’t include soda or sugary snacksFoods with a lot of sugar—like soda, processed foods and sweet treats—aren’t a healthy choice. In addition to promoting obesity, sugar provides food for the harmful oral bacteria that can cause cavities. Even 100% juices have loads of sugar—so go easy on the sweets for better checkups!

Do be sure kids brush and floss regularlyThat means brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, and flossing once a day—every day! Brushing and flossing daily is the most effective way to fight cavities at home. If your kids need help, take time to show them how…and if you need to “brush up” on the proper techniques yourself, just ask us to demonstrate.

Don’t let kids chew on pencils or fingernailsFidgety kids often develop habits like these to help themselves feel calmer. But chewing on things that don’t belong in the mouth is a recipe for dental problems—like chipped or broken teeth. Try giving them sugarless gum instead; if the problem persists, ask us for help.

Do ask about a mouthguard if they play sportsIt’s not just for football or hockey—baseball, basketball and many other schoolyard sports have the potential to damage teeth and gums. A custom-made mouthguard from our office is comfortable enough to wear every day, and offers superior protection.

Don’t forget to schedule routine dental visitsWith the hustle and bustle of a new school year it’s easy to let things slide. But don’t put off your kids’ regular dental checkups! Professional cleanings and dental exams can help keep those young smiles bright, and prevent little problems from getting bigger.

If your smile is, to put it mildly, “unattractive,” you may think only extensive and expensive dental work can change it. But depending on your teeth’s actual condition, you might be able to obtain a new smile with a less-invasive option: porcelain veneers.

As their name implies, veneers are thin layers of dental porcelain bonded to the front of teeth to cover imperfections. They’re custom designed and manufactured by a dental technician to match the natural color, shape and size of the teeth they’re covering and to blend with neighboring teeth.

Veneers are quite effective for heavily stained, chipped or moderately misaligned teeth that are otherwise healthy. They can even be used to address slight gaps between teeth and restore worn teeth to make them appear larger and more youthful.

Overall, they’re less invasive than other dental restorations. That said, though, most veneers will still require some alteration of the affected teeth. This is because although quite thin they can still appear bulky after they’re bonded to the teeth. We can minimize this by removing a small amount of a tooth’s outer enamel. While this alteration is modest compared to other restorations, it’s nonetheless permanent– your teeth will require some form of restoration from then on.

Veneers also require special consideration while biting. You’ll need to exercise care and avoid biting hard items like candies (or using your teeth as tools) or the veneer could break. Similarly if you have a teeth grinding habit, you may want to consider having a custom guard created that you wear at night to prevent solid contact between your teeth. The excessive force generated while grinding or clenching teeth could also shatter veneers.

Veneers may not be the answer in all cosmetic dental situations, such as extensive disfigurements or bite problems. To know for sure if your particular dental condition could benefit, see your dentist for a complete dental examination and discuss whether obtaining veneers is a viable option for you. If so, you may be able to gain a much more attractive smile from this less invasive but no less effective option.

Cutting the lawn, painting shutters, cleaning the garage--they keep your home well maintained. If you put so much into your home, shouldn't you practice good oral hygiene, too? After all, says the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, a smile is a valuable personal asset. To find out if your oral hygiene is on track, read what your Framingham, MA, dentists - Dr. James Cinamon, Dr. Martin Urban, and Dr. Paul Hubley - tell their patients about mouth-healthy routines.

Brushing, flossing, and diet

They all contribute to smile maintenance. The American Dental Association (ADA) says everyone should brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste (babies and toddlers excepted) and a soft brush that fits well inside the mouth.

Daily flossing removes what the brush misses at the gum line and in between teeth. Combined, brushing and flossing significantly reduce bacteria and plaque and decrease your chances of developing tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth loss.

Besides keeping a clean mouth, your Framingham dentists urge people to consume less sugar and carbohydrates and to increase:

At The Cinamon & Hubley Dental Practice, your dentists and hygienists want to see kids, teens, and adults every six months for complete exams, X-rays (when needed), and hygienic cleanings. Dr. Cinamon or Dr. Hubley will check your mouth for decay, gum disease, deteriorating restorations, proper dental bite, and oral cancer, a treatable malady when detected in its early stages.

They promote the adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." And, they have the technology to carry it through: laser decay diagnosis, fluoride treatments, plastic sealants, and customized mouth guards for sports.

Plus, following a detailed treatment plan from your Framingham dentist is a good habit which pays dividends of healthy smiles down the road. For families, The Cinamon & Hubley Dental Practice offers an in-house savings plan which helps make your preventive dentistry services affordable.

While gum recession is a common occurrence related to aging, it’s not just an “old person’s disease.” It can happen to anyone, even someone with a relatively healthy mouth. And this detachment and shrinking back of the gums from the teeth may not be a minor problem—your dental health is definitely at risk.

Here then are 4 things you should know about gum recession, and what you can do about it.

The most common cause: periodontal (gum) disease. A bacterial infection triggered by built-up dental plaque, gum disease weakens the gums’ attachment to teeth that leads to recession. To help prevent it, clean away plaque with daily brushing and flossing and visit a dentist regularly for more thorough plaque removal. If you already have gum disease, prompt treatment could stop the infection and reduce any resulting damage including recession.

…But not the only one. There are other factors that contribute to recession besides disease. In fact, it could be the result of “too much of a good thing”—brushing too hard and too frequently can damage the gums and lead to recession. You might also be more susceptible to recession if you’ve inherited thin gum tissues from your parents. Thin gums are at increased risk of recession from both disease and over-aggressive hygiene.

Best outcomes result from treating gum disease and/or recession early. The earlier we detect and treat a gum problem, the better the outcome. See your dentist as soon as possible if you see abnormalities like swollen or bleeding gums or teeth that appear larger than before. Depending on your condition there are a number of treatment options like plaque removal or techniques to protect exposed teeth and improve appearance.

Grafting surgery could regenerate lost gum tissue. While with mild cases of gum recession the gums may respond well to treatment and actually rejuvenate on their own, that might not be possible with advanced recession. We may, however, still be able to restore lost tissue through grafting. Using one of a number of techniques, a graft of donor tissue can foster new replacement growth. It’s a meticulous micro-surgical approach, but it could be a viable answer to extreme gum recession.

Once upon a time, celebrities tried hard to maintain the appearance of red-carpet glamour at all times. That meant keeping the more mundane aspects of their lives out of the spotlight: things like shopping, walking the dog and having oral surgery, for example.

That was then. Today, you can find plenty of celebs posting pictures from the dentist on social media. Take Julianne Hough, for example: In 2011 and 2013, she tweeted from the dental office. Then, not long ago, she shared a video taken after her wisdom teeth were removed in December 2016. In it, the 28-year-old actress and dancer cracked jokes and sang a loopy rendition of a Christmas carol, her mouth filled with gauze. Clearly, she was feeling relaxed and comfortable!

Lots of us enjoy seeing the human side of celebrities. But as dentists, we’re also glad when posts such as these help demystify a procedure that could be scary for some people.

Like having a root canal, the thought of extracting wisdom teeth (also called third molars) makes some folks shudder. Yet this routine procedure is performed more often than any other type of oral surgery. Why? Because wisdom teeth, which usually begin to erupt (emerge from beneath the gums) around age 17-25, have the potential to cause serious problems in the mouth. When these molars lack enough space to fully erupt in their normal positions, they are said to be “impacted.”

One potential problem with impacted wisdom teeth is crowding. Many people don’t have enough space in the jaw to accommodate another set of molars; when their wisdom teeth come in, other teeth can be damaged. Impacted wisdom teeth may also have an increased potential to cause periodontal disease, bacterial infection, and other issues.

Not all wisdom teeth need to be removed; after a complete examination, including x-rays and/or other diagnostic imaging, a recommendation will be made based on each individual’s situation. It may involve continued monitoring of the situation, orthodontics or extraction.

Wisdom tooth extraction is usually done right in the office, often with a type of anesthesia called “conscious sedation.”Â Here, the patient is able to breathe normally and respond to stimuli (such as verbal directions), but remains free from pain. For people who are especially apprehensive about dental procedures, anti-anxiety mediation may also be given. After the procedure, prescription or over-the-counter pain medication may be used for a few days. If you feel like singing a few bars, as Julianne did, it’s up to you.

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